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Sylvester the Cat Gets Headgear

My anxiety over the next 3 weeks higher than I would have liked it. I struggled to find information on what the expander removal would be like, there’s just not a lot of great resources on the internet. I am a member of a Facebook group for called “adult non-surgical palate expansion”, which includes the MSE (maxillary skeletal expansion) that I have, the ALF, AGGA, FAGGA, DNA and others, but I am the only person of the nearly 500 members who has had an MSE. I have read a blog and watch the vlogs of a guy who does have the MSE, but he and I had it installed about the same time. Doctors are not aware of its existence and not enough are being trained to provide them. This is a group with members from all over the world and people are struggling to find options in their parts of the world. I spoke with one woman on the phone for nearly an hour who lives in Paris and plans fly to Philly and meet with my ortho. The last of resources and knowledge are scary and frustrating. I was able ...
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A trip to Morocco and the cardiologist

Where has the time gone? How is it December already? Gary and I had the most amazing time in Morocco! We flew into Casablanca, took the train right away to Marrakesh and toured the city for an incredible 5 days before our driver/guide, Ahmed, picked us up from our riad (Moroccan hotel). We drove 1,000 miles with Ahmed over the next 6 days: to Ait Benhaddou, the African movie studios, the Torda and Dades gorges, the Saharan desert, Fes, Meknes, Volubilis, Chefchaouen (the blue city) and then back to Fes. I then proceeded to get food poisoning and was too ill and dilerious to leave our room in Fes for the next 2 days. Once I got better, we took the train back to Casablanca for a short visit then home to the states.  El Badi Palace in Marrakesh Chefchaouen...the blue city If Morocco was never on your top 10 list, seriously reconsider and bump it to the top! I cannot say one bad thing about the country, aside from not finding mashed potatoes while I was sick…funny that ...
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Are we done yet? Are we done yet? Are we....

I went to see my ortho in Philly a total of 3 times in August, once when I had the expander installed and then 2 check-ups. The new car I got ended up at least making the drive more comfortable and exciting. Although, that was not without the complications of bathroom quasi flooding which then leaked through the dining room ceiling and onto the dining room table nearly destroying my old car’s title the day before we traded it in.     Water in the bathroom Fixing the shower valve I turned the key in the expander about 25 times. Each time you turn the key, it’s ¼ of a millimeter. Fully expanded, I ended up with about a 6mm gap, more than last year.                * Side note: I ran into my Baltimore ortho at the grocery store. I tried to hide, but there was not a chance and she saw me. She was incredibly nice and excited for my journey which was also impossible to hide with my 6mm gap. I'm ...
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Tow Mater's back!!!

About 2 weeks ago, I went to Philly and Dr. E installed my MSE (maxillary skeletal expander). I met with her at 9:30 that morning to have molds of my teeth taken and then I went back at 1pm to have the expander installed. I sat down in the chair that afternoon to find her beaming and so elated when she saw the expander, “oh, it’s perfect, I’m so excited”. Welp, that makes one of us, talk to me in 10 months when this sucker comes out. Then I’ll share in that excitement. Dr. E placed the expander in my mouth, a damn perfect fit. Shit. She momentarily took it out, grabbed a piece of gauze and stuck it to the roof of my mouth. She gave me the spit suction thingy and said “don’t swallow”. What? Why not? What would happen if I did? Of course, my mouth is wide open with gauze stuffed in it, so I can’t ask. I’m beginning to think dentists do that, tell you something you’ll object to or question when you can’t. Then I remembered reading about the MSE installation procedure, ah yes...
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Back To Square One?

CPC device, oxygen sensor, mouth taped and mute dilator Recently, my dentist has been taking countless trainings in airway prosthodontics, the study of abnormal breathing and its impact on someone’s health. During my most recent intense appointments with her, she told me she ordered a cardiopulmonary coupling device, a patented technology that establishes Sleep Quality from the analysis of the connection between heart rate variability and respiratory volume variability. I clearly have no clue what this means, but sure, I’ll do another sleep study, especially at home. In order to, hopefully, alleviate some of my daytime fatigue prior to any surgery, my dentist recommended that I tape my mouth shut when I sleep as I’m a mouth breather. And that I purchase dilators for my nose, a small plastic device that opens my nostrils wider to increase my air flow, as my nostrils collapse when I inhale. A week later, she called and told me the cardiooulmonary coupling device had arrived...
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